The Texas Transportation Commission and TxDOT use the Unified Transportation Program (UTP) as TxDOT’s 10-year plan to guide transportation project development. The UTP is developed annually in accordance with the Texas Administrative Code (TAC §16.105) and is approved by the Texas Transportation Commission annually prior to August 31. The UTP authorizes projects for construction, development and planning activities and includes projects involving highways, aviation, public transportation, and state and coastal waterways.

The UTP is part of a comprehensive planning and programming process flowing from TxDOT’s agency mission to project-level implementation. That is, the UTP is an intermediate programming document linking the planning activities of the Statewide Long-Range Transportation Plan (SLRTP), the Metropolitan Transportation Plans, and Rural Transportation Plan to the detailed programming activities under the Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and TxDOT’s 24-month (2-year) Letting Schedule.

Specifically, the UTP is a listing of projects and programs that are planned to be constructed and/or developed within the first ten years of the 24-year SLRTP. Project development includes activities such as preliminary engineering work, environmental analysis, right-of-way acquisition and design. Despite its importance to TxDOT as a planning and programming tool, the UTP is neither a budget nor a guarantee that projects will or can be built. However, it is a critical tool in guiding transportation project development within the long-term planning context. In addition, it serves as a communication tool for stakeholders and the public in understanding the project development commitments TxDOT is making.